2015-11 Nov -- Yaxchilan (Chiapas, Mexico)

Fear drove me. What if I never made it back to this area? Would I regret not having visited? Fear and determination to outdo any other Mayan ruins tourist that I met with stories of who had gone the furthest to see ruins. I've always been a bit competitive.

On the Usumacinta River.
Mexico to the left. Guatemala to the right.

Yaxchilan. Part of the adventure of visiting Yaxchilan is the journey. From the ruins of Palenque, it is another 155 kilometers away (96 miles). Google maps does not predict enough time for stopping every 2-3 kilometers for speed bumps. After arriving, you need to take a lancha along the Usamacinta River, which is the border between Guatemala and Mexico. The ride is between 40-60 minutes. There is a possibility of seeing crocodiles; but, thankfully, I did not. (If my lancha driver saw any, he wisely did not point them out to me.) While the park entrance is free on Sundays for Mexican nationals and residents, the lancha ride is not.

Small Acropolis

Due to the late hour (we docked at the site at 3:30 pm; and, the park closes at 4:30 pm), I got in my workout running up and down series of steps. For once, the Moon guidebook provided useful information -- it recommended going up the stairs to the Small Acropolis first because then the rest of the visit would be downhill. I jogged, walked, trudged my way up to the Small Acropolis. There was a group of high school students just finishing their tour, coming up the stairs from the other side. They looked exhausted. They were also the last tourists that I would see in the park.

Lintel carving

Lintel carving

One of the interesting architectural features of Yaxchilan are the lintels over doorways. A peek underneath; and, intricate bas-relief carvings are largely intact. The paint on the carvings unfortunately has not stood the elements. The Small Acropolis has three different lintels, of which two are mostly intact.

Buildings 39, 40, 41

I quick-stepped down the Small Acropolis and took off in a jog down the trail. There was a turn-off for buildings 39, 40, 41. Checking the time, I thought that I could make it up and back. Jog, walk, trudge and finally made it to the top to see these three temples. During the entire time, there were these loud noises emanating from the forest. A bit frightening, actually. And, the trail was taking me closer to them! But, I was alone (or, so I thought until I heard the familiar sound of a text and saw a park guard sitting atop Building 39).

Coming upon Building 33

Time was running out, I jogged back down to the main trail as quickly as I could, avoiding rocks and tree roots. To the right and on it went. Through the trees, a structure started to take shape. However, there was a lot of action going on in the trees above me. Animals quite large were rustling in the trees and jumping from tree to tree. To announce myself, I started whistling random notes very loudly. The tree action slowed a bit. Here and there, a tail poked down from the foliage. Monkeys!

Building 33

I climbed up to the large building, continuing to whistle, all my stuff tucked tightly in my purse, just in case these monkeys were handsy. But, not a one of them descended to investigate the intruder in their jungle. In front, the building (originally named Building 33) is even more impressive! Inside, there is a seated sculpture. On the lower level, covered by the shades, there are the remains of bas-relief sculptures. From here, a long set of stairs descended into the main plaza below.

Looking down toward the main plaza

In the plaza, there were multiple stelaes still standing, covered with small roofs for protection. Some of them were in pretty good shape, as was one now on it's back that had twice thwarted people trying to move it from the site.

In the 1960s, a failed attempt was made to transport this stelae to the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

By this time, one of the park workers had struck up a conversation with me. He told me that the scary animal noises were howler monkeys and pointed out a toucan flying by. The park worker recommended the highlights that I needed to see before the park closed. His best tip was walking through the building that is called the Labyrinth. It is open to walk through; but, make sure to bring some kind of light. Inside the building, the original white stucco remains. The main occupants today are bats. Somehow, they cling to the white stucco A-frame ceilings. We turned our cell phones into flashlights and walked through the labyrinth, coming out a back entrance.

Inside the Labyrinth (bats hanging above us)

We walked back to the entrance. During the walk, the park worker told me how people used to come out and camp at Yaxchilan in order to see the ruins. The park workers still do. I speculated out loud that there couldn't possibly by many visitors since it was so tough to access. But, he said that there had been 150 visitors that day. Then, I raced down the stairs to Juan and his lancha waiting at the boat dock. The ride back was beautiful. A haze was over the water; and, dusk was approaching.

Pumping gas at Yaxchilan's gas station

My final adventure of the night? Going to the "gas station". In Yaxchilan, it's a man and his wife selling gas from their house. You can purchase either 10 liters or 20 liters. They bring out a tank of the appropriate size and plastic tubing. Through some combination of blowing or sucking air into the tubing, the gas flows into the tank. The man told me that they brought the gas in barrels from the Pemex in Chancala, over 100 km away.

Tips:
Zona Archeaological Yaxchilan. Free on Sundays for Mexican nationals and residents. Lancha ride is 40-60 minutes. I don't know how much it costs for a group. For just me, he asked for 1200 pesos; but, we finally agreed on 800 pesos round trip.

2015-11 Nov -- Palenque (Chiapas, Mexico)

From atop Temple of the Cross looking down on the Temple of the Inscriptions and the Palace

From my vantage point, the palace stretched out below. Tour groups of tiny people walked around the lawns and throughout the ruins. Yet, the jungle threatened to encroach. It was only barely contained by the efforts of grounds crew to keep the area free of all consuming vegetation. Off into the distance, the view was magnificent! The jungle stretched below and into the horizon. As one tourist remarked, "The Mayans sure picked pretty places to build!"



Palenque. My Spanish teacher had told me that this was her favorite Mayan ruin. She thinks it's even better than Chichen Itza. Before arriving, I was skeptical. And, really, first you need to get past all the very friendly and persistent men and boys wanting to be your tour guide, even along the long drive up to the ruins as well as running the gauntlet from your parked car to inside the entrance. Once you've made it to the Temple of the Skull, only the most persistent will still ask if you would like a guide.

Temple of the Skull, Temple of the Red Queen and Temple of the Inscriptions (Palak the Great's Tomb)

What a dazzling site it is once you arrive from the entrance gate and pass through the jungle. Spread out on the manicured grass are three increasingly large temples with a grand Palace at the end. Although temple is a bit of a misnomer. These are probably all burial tombs. (At least the two largest had people buried inside.) While you can't climb any, in the middle temple, you can go inside. Within, you'll see the white stone sarcophagus with the lid slide back. Inside, the sarcophagus is covered in red. The red color comes from cinnabar. Inside this coffin, a woman was found. Without any further information, archaeologists have inferred that she was royalty, coining the name for this building as "The Temple of the Red Queen".

Inside the Palace

Once you've stood in awe of the three temples, it's time to climb around the Palace complex. What a joy to be able to walk in and around the rooms where Mayan royalty lived so long ago. Unfortunately, almost all of the paint and most of the carvings have long since gone. However, for those still in situ, the view is impressive. Plus, after walking through all the Palenque ruins, a few of artifacts in very good condition can be viewed at the Museum near the entrance (price included in park entrance). The only place we couldn't go into was the tower in the Palace. To this day, it is still under speculation what the tower was used for -- watch tower or astronomical purposes. However, we could marvel at the indoor squat toilet (complete with drainage channels), the royal rooms set below ground level (and therefore a much cooler temperature) and the views in 360 directions.

Temple of the Cross to the left.
Temple of the Foliated Cross to the right.

Past the Palace is the Crosses group. All of these buildings are open for tourists to summit and peer into the roped off interiors. Inside each is a three part bas-relief carvings depicting Pakal the Great (who lived to be 80+ during the 7th century!) transferring power to his son Kan Bhalum. Kan Bhalum built all of these temples. The largest is the Temple of the Cross. But, for me, the Temple of the Foliated Cross was the most unique. It is reached by a path of rocks winding up toward it, surrounded by jungle. From this vantage point, you can see the other temples of the cross and the Palace stretching below.

The jungle beyond

There are several other structures at the site; but, the ones above are the most well-known and impressive. Although, from some of the others behind the Palace, you have a splendid of the jungle beyond.

Life size sculpture with original traces of paint

Before leaving Palenque, make sure to check out the Museum. In my opinion, while smaller than Museo Maya de Cancun, I believe that it's much better. All of the artifacts are from Palenque. One spectacular life size carving still has vestiges of the red and blue color paint. In the back, there is a well done representation of how Pakal the Great's tomb was found within the Temple of Inscriptions (the largest of the three temples when you first enter the site). According to the museum docent, Pakal was subsequently reburied within the Temple of Inscriptions, where he remains today.

Tips:
Zona Arqeologica de Palenque: Free on Sundays for Mexican nationals and residents. Includes entrance to museum. Also, I wasn't charged anything to park (a fluke?). Open 8-4:30 everyday. Museum open 9-4:30 Tues-Sun. 51 MXN.

Breakfast at Cafe Jade

Cafe Jade: quick and filling breakfast stop pre-ruins visit. I paid 71 MXN + 7 MXN tip (included in bill) for the Jade breakfast, which included juice, tea or coffee, fruit, bread, eggs a la mexicana (think migas), tortillas, refried beans and platanos duros. (And, I ate everything!) They are obviously used to American tourists, as they rushed over as soon as I sat down and my food came out piece by piece as quickly as I could finish it. No need to wave over a waiter here -- they'll come to you.
Posada Aguila Real: little hotel near Palenque town center. Booked on booking.com for $25.20; with taxes at hotel, paid 558 MXN in cash. Bring earplugs. There is no quiet place in this town (not even in the area "La Canada" where above Cafe Jade is located). Secure, free parking for car. Not far from town plaza and surrounded by restaurants, bars, pharmacies, OXXOs, etc. Clean. Not much shower water pressure. Air conditioned. Can also sell you day trips to the sites (or, you can walk to the Kichan Bajlum tour office a few blocks away and save a few pesos).

2015-10 Oct -- Chichen Itza (Mexico)

El Castillo [The Castle] of Chichen Itza!

Chichen Itza. One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. An astonishing example of Mayan architecture. A must see if you travel to Cancun or Merida. (It's approximately half way in-between the two cities.)

El Castillo [The Castle]

On Sunday, I was making really good time. I'd already visited Tulum and Coba. If I arrived in time to my hotel at Chichen Itza, I was excited to run in for a quick tour before in-depth exploration on Monday. My plan had been to stay at one of the hotels close enough to walk into the entrance. It was outrageously expensive; but, who knows when I'll get to visit Chichen Itza again? I parked my car on the hotel's former tennis court now parking lot at 4 pm. Ducking into the hotel's reception, there was a group of four senior citizens in front of me. The receptionist was busy getting them checked in and bringing out refreshing jamaica (hibiscus juice) for them to drink. I asked another employee when Chichen Itza closed. He said 5; and, I ran out the door to put my backpack in my car and walked to the park's back entrance. Here, my luck ran out. Even though the park is open until 5 pm, the back entrance closes at 4. No amount of cajoling the guard or his manager got me in. At this time, I also found out that I could not enter the park via this entrance to see the audio/video show that night, either. Instead, I would have to drive around to the main entrance just before the town of Piste. So much for my grand plan.

Dinner at Las Mestizas

I dejectedly walked back to the hotel. Inside, the receptionist told me that he had two bookings for me and would have to charge me for both. After we looked at his two print-offs, we discovered that they had the same booking number, just in different places. At least that was easy to clear up! To the side of the reception desk, there was a big poster about the Chichen Itza Light & Sound Show stating that the hotel had free tickets. I asked the receptionist about getting a ticket. He checked into the reservation system; and, there were no more spaces open. Unbeknownst to me, in 2015, the park is trying a different type of ticketing for the nightly show. Instead of it being part of the park entrance ticket, it is now free. However, tickets must be reserved online, or through your hotel. The receptionist gave me a ticket anyway and instructed me to go to the park around 7:45 to see if there were open spaces.

Papaya dessert with cheese

There was nothing left to do but to go into town (Piste) for a bit of dinner. Dinner was at Las Mestizas. It was empty except for two older female tourists and myself. I tried the chicken made in a banana leaf with a large glass of tamarind juice. Since there was still plenty of time, I ordered the papaya dessert as well. It was certainly different.

Waiting for "Nights of Kulkulkan" to begin

Driving to the main entrance of the museum, I paid 30 pesos to park. Then, I joined the queue next to the ATM for all of us without reservations. In front of me a dad played with his daughter. To our right, there was a long line of people who had reservations. It was plenty of time to get in some reading on my phone. Finally, at 8 pm, the gate opened; and, all the reservation holders filed through. Then, it was our chance! We were instructed to sit in the chairs at the back. We filed through and walked to the chairs set-up in front of the pyramid. Even with everyone seated, at least a quarter of the seats were empty. Around 8:30, a welcome was given in Spanish and English. Then, the show began. It was spectacular! "Nights of Kulkulkan" makes good use of the pyramid's design to project a brief story of the Mayan in dazzling color. It included both Mayan legends about how the world began as well as providing information on the pyramid of Chichen Itza. However, the presentation is only in Spanish without any translation or subtitles. It was so great that I was able to get a chance to see the show! I went back to my hotel energized and excited to explore the park the following day.

Back entrance at "Zona Central"

The next day, I enjoyed a delightful breakfast at the hotel. The hotel rooms are all facing in toward the courtyard. On one side of the courtyard is the pool. On the other side is the restaurant. I enjoyed eating on a table in the courtyard, listening to all the unknown bird calls. Since hotel checkout wasn't until 1 pm, after breakfast, I left my room disorganized with a "Do Not Disturb" sign and headed toward the park's back entrance. There were signs posted in the ticket office on rates (between 150 pesos for nationals & residents to 224 pesos for foreigners). However, at least the rate they charged me and the couple behind me was much less, 76 pesos per person. After waiting for a tour group to all get their tickets punched, finally, I was in Chichen Itza Archeaological Zone! Walking down the trail with a couple from Boston, we came to the map of the site. A tour group stood in front of it, listening as their guide pointed out different sites. Another guide stood to the side. The Boston couple and I struck up a conversation with this second guide, asking for his recommendations of what we should see first. He suggested visiting the pyramid first and pointed us to the appropriate path to take. While I headed to the pyramids, the couple decided to take another path to the left.

El Castillo [The Castle]

The guide's suggestion was wonderful because there was no one yet at the pyramid at 8:30 am in the morning. I was able to take some beautiful photos. Walking through the grass, the buzz of bees droned around me. Looking down, the bees were everywhere, humming through the green grass. Even this early in the morning, the sun was scorching. I was thankful for both my sunblock and hat! I didn't stay long in the open by the great Castle.

Cenote Sagrada

Next stop was the Cenote Sagrado, or Sacred Well. A cenote is a sinkhole. While there are several in the Yucatan Peninsula that are now open for swimming, this one is not. Below, the water was a greenish blue. Previously, this cenote had been used by the Maya to offer sacrifices; and, many artifacts have been pulled from it. Today, it rests in pristine beauty for tourists to view.

The ball court of Chichen Itza

Side of the ball court

Next stop, the ball court. It is immense! According to the signage, it is the largest ball court in Mesoamerica. (Mesoamerica is approximately from the border with Texas to Belize.) At 135 meters, it is longer than a football or soccer field. Along each side, the first meter or so is capped with the long snake. Its head is the same as the heads at the bottom of each staircase of "The Castle". Below the snake carving, the entire side is filled with bas-relief carvings in the stones. It is impressive!

Platform of skull carvings

After walking the entire length of the ball court, I walked a past a few standalone platforms. These also had a variety of bas-relief sculptures in surprisingly good condition. However, they were more morbid. One entire platform was covered with carvings of skulls. Another platform had repeated images of warriors holding decapitated heads.

Workers climbing El Castillo

The sun and heat were starting to get to me. There was a bench in the shade with a good view of The Castle. I sat down to write in my journal about all my impressions of Chichen Itza. As I was staring at The Castle, I saw people climbing up and down it. How exciting! The pyramid is no longer open for visitors to climb. Maybe I had arrived on an exceptional day! I raced over to the pyramid. Everyone behind the rope cordon wore an extra large badge on a lanyard around their necks. I struck up a conversation with one of the guys, asking if the pyramid was open to climb. Unfortunately, the only people allowed up it are park workers. They were preparing for the evenings light and sound show.

My meandering continued past several immense, columned buildings, a small cenote and a smaller pyramid until I arrived at the Observatory. It is a cylindrical building, the only one on the entire site. It's also called the "Caracol" or conch because it has a spiral staircase. Archaeologists hypothesize that it was used for astronomical observations.

Faces on The Church

The Church

 Past the observatory is a building called "The Nunnery". It is another extensive structure! However, the really interesting building at this point was the "Church", a small construction to the side of the nunnery. It has over-the-top ornamentation. Giant faces in the center have large, hooked noses. Behind this building are several buildings facing into a patio area.

The final building to see is the Akab Dzib. There is an arrow pointing down a small trail for both the Hacienda Chichen Itza and Akab Dzib. We couldn't get very close to it. From the trail, it looked rather drab. However, if you stay in the Hacienda Chichen Itza, just past this building is an entrance to your hotel. Unfortunately, those of us in other hotels by the back entrance cannot take this shortcut. Instead, I had to walk back past the Church, Nunnery, Observatory, smaller pyramid and small cenote to return to the back entrance.

After packing up and checking out of my hotel, I was by now quite tired of being hot and sticky for my third day in a row. Just up the road, there is a cenote open for swimming. It's called Ik-Kil. However, it's not part of the state or national parks and monuments; and, there is no discount for Mexican nationals or residents. 70 pesos gets you in. Then, it's a quick rinse off in their outdoor showers before the guard will let you descend the slippery stone steps to the cenote. Vines hang down to the water from the upper edge. Mini waterfalls spray from the rocks. The water is a clear, deep greenish blue. I climbed down the wooden log ladder into the refreshing water. It felt so wonderful! For once in three days, I didn't feel the heat and humidity. Little black flash swam around us in the water. Floating on my back, I looked up toward the sky. The joyful screams of teenagers playing faded from my ears. For a few moments, it was my own private paradise. What a great way to end my three day weekend!

Travel Notes:
Chichen Itza Archeaological Zone. Open 8 am (more like 8:30 am) - 5 pm. Back entrance closes at 4 pm. Parking at main entrance is 30 MXN. Tickets -- at least 76 MXN (for Mexican nationals and residents). Unable to determine tourist pricing. Free on Sundays for Mexican nationals and residents. To avoid all the vendors and tour groups, get there early.
Nights of Kulkulkan. Free but requires a reservation. Line up starts at 7:30 pm. Entrance to park at 8 pm. Show only delivered in Spanish.
Cenote Ik-Kil. 70 MXN entrance. No discounts. No additional parking fee. Extra fees for renting lockers (30 MXN) and renting life jackets (45 MXN) although neither are required.
Hotel Villas Arqueologicas. My room for two was $58.91 on Booking.com. I paid ~880 MXN at the hotel. Parking included. Breakfast not included and cost between 110 - 130 MXN for all inclusive breakfast.

2015-10 Oct -- Coba (Mexico)

Ball court in Coba

The road from Tulum to Coba is smooth, paved, with speed limits between 90-110 km/hour. It's as nice as many of the toll roads that I've experienced thus far in Mexico; but, it's free! Visiting the Yucatan Peninsula really is stepping into a completely different area of Mexico. In order to beat the heat, I drove straight from the Tulum Archaeological Site to the Coba Archaeological Site. It's only about 45 minutes away. The town is tiny. The entrance to the ruins is immense in comparison. Just past the entrance, there is ample parking along with a couple restaurants and gift shops. I eagerly flashed my Mexican Temporary Resident card to the cashier, who didn't feel that my free entrance was even worthy of a ticket. The guard inside the entrance studied my residence card long and hard before allowing me to continue up the dirt path.

The "church" of Coba

Corbelled arches of Coba 

I had read that Coba is the chance to feel the amazement of coming upon ruins still engulfed by the jungle like Frederick Catherwood and John Lloyd Stephens. In reality, Coba has dirt paths that are wide enough for pedicabs to pass. Yet, the paths and area immediately surrounding ruins are the only areas without dense foliage. The trees along the paths provide lots of shade for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.  The first area of ruins includes a ball court and the "church" of Coba, which is a pyramid rising from the jungle. Unfortunately, we could not climb this pyramid. However, it did provide great examples of the Mayan corbelled arch style. The Mayans would place stones extending just a little closer together in each level with a stone lintel resting on top.

Stelae

Stelae

Throughout the site, there were lots of stelae. Unfortunately, many of the bas-relief carvings and hieroglyphics are completely eroded away.

The real draw of Coba is the ability to climb it's pyramid, Nohoch Mul. (According to the placard, "Nohoch Mul" means "big mound" in Mayan.) It is the only Mayan pyramid that I've visited thus far that is open for the public to climb. Plus, it's even taller than Chichen Itza. Climbing the steep narrow steps to the top didn't seem too difficult. At the top, the view was amazing! Stretching to the horizon is endless jungle. But, coming back down the steps, with a single rope for assistance, proved to be a test of balance, patience and shaky leg muscles. It was worth every step!

Arriving at Nohoch Mul!

The view from the top of Nohoch Mul.

The final collection of ruins at Coba are called the Macanxoc Group. Between Nohoch Mul and Macanxoc, there are several little ruins off the larger, main path. At these times, it sometimes can feel like rediscovering long lost ruins, as you slip down a barely used trail to view ruins half consumed by the vegetation. Yet, nothing is far from a dirt trail for pedestrians, bicyclists or a waiting pedicab.

Travel in style with a pedicab

After all the excitement of Coba, I was hungry. On my way out, I stopped to ask the guard for a recommendation for lunch. My request was for food that was good as well as inexpensive. He directed me to drive out of the parking area, take a right, and go past the traffic cones until I came to a place with tables and chairs outside. "Como se llama?" [What's it called?], I asked. "No tiene nombre." [It doesn't have a name.] I sighed. But, I followed his directions and came to a little cafe with tables and chairs outside. Under the patio roof, there were a group of foreigners eating and drinking. I sat at a table next to the kitchen area. A lady came out and started listing off juice options. One of them was "chaya". I'd never heard of chaya before. She told me that it was like spinach and pointed to a plant in the median of the road. Always up for something new, I tried the chaya juice accompanied with a plate of "poc-chuc", Mayan for grilled pork. In a country that knows how to do pork, the poc-chuc didn't disappoint. About half an inch thick, the pork was juicy and tender. While the ladies worked in the kitchen, they spoke in a language the I didn't recognize. Finally I asked them in what language they were speaking. It was Mayan. They were very friendly and even gave me a chaya leaf as a souvenir.

Lunch -- chaya juice, poc-chuc and homemade tortillas. Yum!

Travel Notes:
Ruins:
- Coba Archaeological Site. Parking for 30 MXN. Entrance is 64 MXN and free on Sundays if you are a Mexican national or resident. Bicycle rentals in the site are 45 MXN/hour. Renting a pedicab is 70 MXN/hour. The only bathrooms are behind the ticket booth, before entering the park.

Food:

Inside the Mayan cafe

- the no name cafe outside of Tulum Archaeological Park. The chaya juice and poc-chuc cost a total of 100 MXN (110 with tip).

Chaya plant

2015-10 Oct -- Tulum (Mexico)

Arriving to Cancun from Guadalajara, the first impression is of unbearable heat and humidity. One forgets how nice the weather is in Guadalajara! I hadn't stopped sweating from the moment that I stepped out of the plane. This probably hadn't helped my mood in Cancun while driving circles trying to eat lunch. It was time to get out of the tourist mecca and head to a tourist town about an hour and half down the coast.

Tulum ruins and the ocean

Tulum is known for its ruins overlooking the ocean. It used to be a Mayan port town. The town today sits near a stoplight marking the intersection of the highway from Cancun and the road to Coba. My hotel was situated just on this corner. Pancha Tulum had a few parking spots in front, a tiny restaurant and then a reception area. After passing the reception, one walks into a large patio with rooms around it. My room was quiet. There was no sound of the tour buses or semi-trucks passing by on both roads. An added benefit was the super friendly hotel cat, Pacholina, who waited outside my door to greet me.

First beach sighting in Tulum

It was time to see the raved about beaches of the Riviera Maya. I threw on my running clothes and headed down the road to the beach. At only 3 kilometers, I would just make it before 7 pm sunset. There was a wide, paved sidewalk along the entire route that comfortably afforded transportation to both pedestrians and cyclists. Finally, I arrived at the round-a-bout at the end of the road. To the left was a police shack, in front was the entrance to a private spa. There was no beach in site. After fruitlessly questioning the attendant at the spa, I turned left to head to Playa Paraiso, which is supposedly public. However, the narrow road with cars whizzing by in both directions and cyclists (without bike lights) hugging the edges of the road seemed more and more dangerous as the sun set. I could hear the waves crashing against the beach; but, I still couldn't see them. Finally, there was a break in the brush. Through a cracked open wooden slat gate, a small beach stretched below, framed by large boulders. My first view of the ocean!

Dinner at El Vegetariano

I called it a night and headed back the way that I came, walking with my phone as a flashlight. The sidewalk seemed never-ending. But, eventually, I made it back to the hotel intersection. The hotel's receptionist, an Italian named Simon, had given me several recommendations. When he heard that I was craving fruit and vegetables, he recommended a restaurant on the same corner called El Vegetariano. The name is a bit misleading. The special for the evening was lobster. I ordered a juice of beet, carrot and ginger. For the main dish, I tried the "El Vegetal", which was a plate of roasted veggies with a side of hummus. In addition, the owner brought out a bowl of tortilla chips with four different sauces along with another side of hummus. It was all excellent! During our meal, we were serenaded by a girl with her ukulele. One of the songs that she played was Natalia LaFourcade's "Hasta La Raiz".

Tulum's Palace

Temple of the Paintings

The next morning, following Simon's recommendation, I drove to the back entrance of the Tulum Archaeological Site and parked for free. Then, I walked into the entrance, proudly sported my Mexican resident card and walked in for free! A great many museums and national monuments are free on Sundays for Mexican nationals and residents. The Mayans had built their port town with views of the ocean. It is quite an extensive area that is not yet fully excavated. Yet from what is currently on view, you can see a bit of the town layout from the Mayan times. At the highest point with the best view of the ocean is the Palace. We couldn't summit it; but, we had access to walk almost all the way around it.

Beach in Tulum

One of the great side benefits of visiting the Tulum ruins is the private beach. After walking around the ruins without anything for shade, you can descend the stairs to a beautiful little private beach. The sand here truly wasn't hot (at least not at 10 am)! The water sparkled clearly with blues, greens and turquoises. The warm water felt refreshing after the intense heat and humidity.

Travel Tips
Hotel:
- Pancha Tulum was a clean, quiet place to stay. On Booking.com, the pre-tax cost was $28.50 for a room for two. The price included breakfast, which was a bit interesting as the "Mexican Breakfast" listed chilaquiles but came with fresh bread instead of tortilla chips. The room's bathroom door is saloon style. The air conditioning was refreshingly cold.
Restaurants:
- El Vegetariano -- total cost for my meal (with tip) was 200 MXN.
Ruins:
- Tulum is 64 MXN regularly or free on Sundays for Mexican nationals and residents. Inside, you can go swimming on the private beach staffed with a lifeguard. The only bathroom is at the ticket counter at the entrance.